Pyongyang: North Korea will elect representatives to its parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), on March 15, following a recent party congress, state media announced Wednesday. This election is seen as a follow-up step to the congress, which was held by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea last month to outline key policy goals for the next five years.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the election for the 15th SPA was confirmed by the parliamentary standing committee's decision. North Korea traditionally holds a parliamentary session after a party congress to translate the party's decisions into legislation and to conduct a personnel reshuffle necessary for implementing these policies. The upcoming parliamentary session is anticipated to see significant changes, including the potential replacement of Choe Ryong-hae, the current chairman of the SPA standing committee. Choe, now 76, was recently omitted from the party's central committee, indicating a shift towards a younger generation of leadership.

Jo Yong-won, a party secretary and one of Kim Jong-un's closest aides, is considered a probable successor to Choe. A significant point of interest will be whether Kim Jong-un himself will be named president, a title historically reserved for North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, as the SPA makes important personnel decisions.

The SPA is also likely to codify a policy classifying the two Koreas as "hostile countries" into the constitution, following Kim Jong-un's announcement of this stance in 2023. This policy has led to increased hostilities toward Seoul. The SPA maintains a fixed number of 687 representatives, comprising workers, scientists, educators, and other public members from different sectors, alongside senior government officials. Being elected as an SPA member is considered a rite of passage into the upper echelons of the regime's power structure.

Eligible voters aged 17 and above will participate in the parliamentary election, which typically occurs over a single day. While voting is technically mandatory, it is largely seen as a formality, as only one candidate stands in each constituency. Voters who approve of the candidate place the ballot in the box, while those who do not must draw a line through the candidate's name, making the voting process effectively non-secret.

Notably, Kim Jong-un is currently not an SPA member, having been excluded from the parliament in the previous election. This marks the first time a North Korean leader has not held a seat in the SPA since the nation's founding. Once the new parliament is established, it is expected to convene a session. The first meeting of the current 14th SPA took place approximately a month after its election.